I asked my friends if they fear that their future job will not earn them enough money to make them happy and the response that interested me the most was when my friend said, “Yeah I am stressed that I won’t be able to make ends meet– and I know that will affect my mood– but it’s not everything.” And I love that, because it’s so true. While money can be a huge source of anxiety, if you have other things like love and passion, those financial worries won’t have as much of a stronghold on your attitude.

Then I referenced the happiness that I mentioned in the first question and asked them what their criteria is for being happy later in life. Three of my friends said that family was their biggest concern. If they have enough money to support their family and to make their loved ones happy, they will be content. My other friend said that living in a house that is secluded from others would make her really happy. I really enjoyed that all of the responses I got weren’t materialistic. While a house is materialistic, the house wasn’t my friend’s major interest, it was the location and what that would do for her mental health.

My last question was, “When you think about being happy in your adult life, does money come to mind right away?” These two were some of my favorite responses. My one friend said, “Yes. Only because growing up without money was a struggle. We were always worried, and I could see how it affected my parents and how it made them unhappy for a while.” I was thankful that she gave me such a vulnerable answer, and I loved hearing her perspective because I didn’t grow up in the ways that she did. Her response and my comparison really displays the difference that a childhood can make. 

My other friend responded with, “No. There’s more than just money.” I like that he said this because it all really depends on perspective. Being able to resist getting sucked into our materialistic world is powerful and useful in seeing what is truly important to you.